And Still More on Hair...

Returning home from Nahariya I made the mistake of agreeing to get into the same cab I had gotten into last week with the driver who complained about dog hair. Again, he demanded that I produce a towel, which I did not have, and began to complain even before I got in. I objected that I had enough to carry without having to bring a towel with me everywhere, and that it was his responsibility to provide service and my responsibility to keep my dog as clean as possible. Evidently if other passengers leave mud, sand, papers, or other litter this does not merit a major tirade, but only guide dogs make the cab dirty (and only blind people get yelled at.).

Sure enough, when we got home I got out, took the rubber mat that Suki had sat on and shook it out. But that was not enough. He got out of the cab to inspect and make sure that he had something to gripe about.

"The WHOLE CAR is full of hair."

"The whole car??" I asked incredulously. "You're exaggerating."

"Other people have to ride here too! Next time I'll take you and charge you the rull meter rate and then you won't come with me any more."

"Don't worry," I retorted. "I don't plan on riding with you again."

"It's too bad you can't see all the hair," he said.

That did it. "IT's too bad I can't see a lot more important things than how much hair is in the car." With that I walked off. He was still shouting.

I decided I'd had enough and wasn't going to leave this behavior go by without taking some action. Thinking about the hours I spend brushing Suki to remove excess hair, I walked into the house and called the cab stand. I explained to the dispatcher quietly and politely that I didn't want to ride with the driver who had taken me home, and told her what he had said. She agreed with me, said that I had a right to take his name and report him, and apologized for his bad behavior.

I'd rather avoid the fights than report drivers. There are plenty of drivers who are big fans of Suki and who are happy to take us.
It's time to start giving out stickers again.